What does "hydrocracked dino oil" mean?

[RWEST]

What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

I've seen "hydrocracked dino oil" mentioned many times here and on other forums. What does hydrocracked mean? Does it make oil better? Worse? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I've been using the Rotella "T" 5-40, which is supposed to be a synthetic, but, from what I've been reading, it's not a 'true' synthetic, only hydrocracked dino. How can that be? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[MikePA]

Re: What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

<font color="blue"> What does hydrocracked mean? </font>
Google is a wonderful tool. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Click Here.

 

[sneaky_pete]

Re: What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( How can that be? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )</font>

The magic of marketing. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[gsxr1100]

Re: What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

look a the price of rotella. You think a real synthetic would be that cheap?????

As I have stated before, you get what you pay for. And only in America can a group 3 dino hydrocracked oil be called a synthetic.

 

[strokerduster]

Re: What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

castrol was the first oil company sued for calling hydrocracked, synthetic (syntec). the judge found in their favor stating that as it pertained to oil, "synthetic is a marketing term and if it had been appreciably modified it could be considered as synthetic". most major oil companies instantly adopted this rather than starting with a more expensive pao base stock.

 

[RWEST]

Re: What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Google is a wonderful tool )</font>
/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Doh!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Thanks, Mike.

The bad thing is, I'm the guy normally telling everyone "did you Google it?". /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[RalphVa]

Re: What does \"hydrocracked dino oil\" mean?

Virtually all dino lubrication oil is hydrogen treated. Most of these are at mild conditions such that a small amount of sulfur and some unstable non-paraffinic molecules are converted mostly to naptha and fractionated out. It makes the oil more stable and lighter in color.

Hydrocracking is hydrogen treatment at very severe conditions to remove all non-paraffinic molecules that tend to promote color bodies and cause chemical reactions that lead to instability that can cause the oil to either lighten or thicken with use. The hydrocracking also breaks apart some of the paraffinic molecules.

Generally, dino oils are produced at reasonable yields at around 95-105 VI(viscosity index) and then treated with VI improver to get the 140 VI in the can.

Hydrocracked oils can be produced at reasonable yields, and sometimes higher yields, to produce oils that are a bit higher in VI. They can also be used to upgrade crude distillates that normally would not be economical (in yield) to produce conventionally. This is often their use and economic way to be built, as hydrocracked oil facilities cost more.

Some hydrocracked oil equipment does something called isomerization in addition. This produces something closer to a synthetic. Many companies now are doing this.

Ralph